Hardik Pandya set to return for Team India after 2-month injury lay-off
Sanjay Bangar says it is a huge boost for the Men in Blue
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The return of Hardik Pandya for the five-match T20I series against visiting South Africa has significantly boosted India's strength. The two teams will resume their rivalry with the first match at Barabati Stadium on Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
Pandya, 32, was recuperating after sustaining a quadricep injury during India's Asia Cup match against Sri Lanka. India defended the continental title, but the star all-rounder's road to recovery has been one of the most talked-about topics in the Indian cricket circle in recent times.
In his first competitive match in over two months, Pandya helped Baroda beat Punjab in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 match by seven wickets. He scored an unbeaten 77 off 42 balls and claimed a wicket. And tonight, the all-rounder could make his long-awaited return to international cricket.
"No Other Player Like Hardik Pandya In The Indian Team"
Ahead of the India vs South Africa 1st T20I, former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar explained why Pandya's presence is important for India, considering the team management is still trying to figure out the best possible line-up, if not the XI.
"A fit Hardik Pandya allows the team to play its desired combination, especially with the spin options we have, Bangar said while speaking on JioStar's 'Follow the Blues' program. "That's why his presence is critically very vital."
India are likely to field Pandya straight away, even though reports emerged that he opted out of the training on the eve of the first India vs South Africa T20I.
"Look at all the all-rounders in world cricket now. Does England have a backup for Ben Stokes? No. In one-day or even Test cricket, there is no backup for Ravindra Jadeja. It is the same with Hardik Pandya," Bangar said.
"He can command a spot in the top five on his batting alone. He could also be one of the top three seamers in any team if he were just a bowler. The point is, to be that kind of all-rounder, you must earn your place with your batting and also with your bowling. There is no other player like Hardik Pandya in the Indian team."
How Pandya Helped India Beat South Africa In World Cup 2024 Final?
The Cuttack clash tonight marks the first meeting between the two teams in this format after their nail-biting ICC T20 World Cup 2024 final, which India won by seven runs.
India posted 176/7 with Virat Kohli, the eventual Player of the Match, scoring 76 runs off 59. Pandya faced only a couple of deliveries for five runs, with fellow all-rounders Axar Patel (47 off 31) and Shivam Dube (27 off 16) promoted ahead of him.
However, it was Pandya's three wickets, including two in the final over of the match, that proved decisive.
The Proteas, with David Miller warming up, needed 16 runs from six deliveries, and they were the favourites.
But Hardik started the final act with the wicket of Miller, caught at long off by Suryakumar Yadav. That fielding effort helped the soon-to-be India T20 captain etch his name in cricket folklore.
Pandya, who had earlier removed Heinrich Klaasen to help India claw back in the match, completed the final rites with the wicket of Kagiso Rabada. Captain Rohit Sharma and Kohli soon announced their retirements from T20Is, and Yadav now leads the team.
Hardik Pandya's Workload Management
Hardik Pandya, even if he's fully fit, is unlikely to play in all five matches against the Proteas during this series. Bangar, an all-rounder during his playing days, suggested that Pandya "should at least play the first three matches against South Africa" and see how he copes.
"Playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy is different from the intensity of an international game. The team management must manage the workload of important players like him," Bangar added. "So, if needed, we must do that for Hardik too.
Pandya made his international debut in a T20I match against Australia at Adelaide on January 26, 2016.
He arrives for the South Africa series with 1,860 runs and 98 wickets in 120 T20Is. In other formats, he has scored 532 and 1,904 runs and claimed 17 and 91 wickets, in 11 Tests and 94 ODIs, respectively.
South Africa's Tour Of India 2025
In the two preceding legs, the two teams have shared the honours. The Proteas recorded a historic Test series whitewash in India, winning both matches in contrasting fashion.
On a turning Eden Gardens pitch, India were dismissed for 93 all out in the fourth innings while chasing a 124-run target. The Kolkata debacle was followed by a 408-run defeat, their biggest in history, in Guwahati.
However, India got a semblance of revenge in the ODIs, winning the three-match series 2-1.
Led by stand-in skipper KL Rahul, the Men in Blue registered victories in Ranchi (by 17 runs) and Visakhapatnam (by nine wickets), with the visitors claiming the second match. The series witnessed Virat Kohli scoring two centuries and one fifty.
After the Cuttack match, the two teams will head to Chandigarh for the 2nd T20I, followed by fixtures in Dharamsala, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad.
